Disclaimer:
Tails, Sonic, and any mention of the Sonic universe is copyright of Sega and SonicTeam. All Pokemon, towns and locations mentioned are copyright and property of Gamefreak and the Pokemon Company. Any references to Ransai Caradine is copyright by me. All references to other unknown characters and/or circumstances are from the great minds of Team Snagem
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If Tails didn't see the advertisement for the Wild Blue Yonder, Tuesday would have been a very boring day indeed.
Flying has been a pursuit of many a soul for many a reason for many an age. Whether humans wanted the freedom of birds or freedom from the worries of life itself, to touch the sky and find heaven, to keep in touch with relatives in distant lands or in the hereafter, flying has been a dream of many. And flying was just what Tails did best. Back on his home planet, he built many flying machines, from biplanes to flying mechs to an entire airship. And he himself was built for flying. His two tails would strike one as strange, but he can maneuver them to lift his light frame off the ground and take flight wherever and whenever he needed to. It was a technique that saved him and some of his friends many times over. So of course a festival dedicated to flying pokemon would interest a kid like Tails.
Just like back home, he had more ways of flying than he could count off the top of his head. On this planet though, he didn't have anyone to go with him when he was flying. No familiar cool blue best friend to encourage him. No headset to talk to anyone who needed input from the sky. Nothing but him and the flying pokemon up in the air. But he managed to cope with that.
The Wild Blue Yonder festival, as advertised on the news, was hosted annually by the Gym leader of Fortree, Winona. Like any festival, food and games were bound to be there. And parties are always so much fun. The thing that grabbed Tails' attention though was the main event of the festival. An aerial race through the four regions, braving the low pressure and thin air of the upper reaches of the sky mounted on a flying pokemon. Tails didn't know about the composition of the atmosphere of Earth, but he had a fairly easy time breathing high up in the atmosphere on Mobius. So though he was young, he thought he might have a chance.
After he prepared with what he thought would be enough: his pokemon (all of a feather), any medical supplies (potions and revives), and a small pack to smuggle any spare treats from the festival off with him, he left HQ.
Kitsune was there to see him off.
"So you saw that broadcast about that festival?" she asked.
"Yep," Tails answered with a nod. "I know you probably want to go too, but I have no idea what I'll be up against. So I'll need all my best flying pokemon."
"Ah, well. They'll probably say something about it on the news anyway."
"Probably," Tails agreed. "It's been awhile since I've been able to do something like this. I just hope I can do this."
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll finish it," Kitsune encouraged. "Just make sure you win, too."
"I'll try," Tails said with a giggle.
"Well, don't sit around talking to me!" Kitsune said all of a sudden. "Go and have fun!"
"All right! I'll see you later, then. Wish me luck!"
Kitsune nodded and Tails walked away grabbing a pokeball from his pack. He let his Pidgeot out and it stood out in front of him expectantly. It flapped its wings a bit.
"Well, it looks like we're gonna have some fun today. And not just having to take people out, either," Tails told his Pidgeot.
Pidgeot gave a shrill chirp. Whatever Tails had planned, Pidgeot was ready for. It let down a wing for Tails to climb up.
After Tails got a tight hold, he let Pidgeot know he was ready with a tap on its neck. "Let's go. To Fortree City," he said.
Pidgeot flapped its wings and swiftly took off into the sky.
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Pidgeot's speed ensured it would take no time at all to get to Fortree. And the Pokedex wasn't kidding when it said a Pidgeot's speed can approach an upward of Mach 2 speeds. Tails counted only about a minute or so before they were over the ocean and forests, arriving at Fortree. Pidgeot landed in a clearing outside Fortree and Tails hopped off, raring for a good time. He quickly recalled Pidgeot back to its pokeball and took off running to the city.
It certainly looked like there was a festival going on. Everywhere Tails looked, he saw sky blue and white streamers and confetti on the ground, concession stands and game booths lining the edge of the forest. If he didn't know any better, Tails thought it all appeared overnight or something. People were walking around idly or aloof just as one would see at any carnival or festival. And of course, kids were dashing about, looking for the next game to play or sweet to eat. If he was a resident, he'd probably be running around with those kids, too.
The only thing he thought strange was that no one thought him as strange.
Yet.
Until a kid absentmindedly knocked him on his butt to the ground. Tails eeped a squeak in surprise.
"Ooow... that hurt," Tails complained looking up at the kid. The kid was still standing, looking down at Tails, rather confused.
"Are you a pokemon or something?" the kid asked, taking out a pokeball. "'Cause if you are, then you'd be a good one to show my sister!"
"Hey, I'm not a--" Tails managed to shout before he was beaned with the pokeball. It merely bounced off his head and landed harmlessly on the ground. Tails couldn't exactly say it was a fun experience. "--Pokemon..." he finished.
The kid stared, then chuckled a bit nervously. "Oh yeah... I knew that..." he fibbed, grabbing for his pokeball.
"Oh, Aeyn!" called an exasperated yet familiar voice. A woman, probably in her late teens or early twenty's was running towards them. She was wearing a suit that just screamed 'flying fanatic' and wore her hair in a long ponytail, about to her back. "Oh, Tails, too?"
Tails stood up, rubbing the back of his head and asked, "Long time no see, huh Winona?"
"You know that pokemon, Windy?" the kid asked.
"That's not a pokemon, silly," Winona answered. "He helped us save the pokemon's homes in the forests some time ago."
Windy? Aeyn? The kid said he had a sister, but Tails didn't think he'd be bumping into Winona's little brother as soon as he arrived at Fortree. At least he didn't have to go and run around looking for Winona, now. He decided he'd introduce himself.
"Yup. Oh, and my name's Miles Prower. But just call me Tails. I hate my real name,"
"That's a kinda weird name," Aeyn said. "But yeah, I'm Aeyn."
"You don't have to be rude about it." Winona said stiffly.
"He's the one who ran into me!" Aeyn argued.
"But I wasn't even running..." Tails piped in.
"Aeyn, if you want me to teach you the proper way to employ grace in battles one of these days, then I think you should be at least a little more welcoming to everyone coming to the festival." Winona warned.
Aeyn scoffed a bit. "All right, all right, I'll just leave you alone then," he said. He put the pokeball back in his pocket and dashed off.
Winona sighed in relief. "Sorry about that, Tails," she said. "Mom and Dad decided to bring my brother with them this year for the festival, but I still think it was a bad idea. I have enough to worry about, hosting this thing and all."
"It's okay," Tails said with a shrug, " For some reason, the kids on this planet think I'm a pokemon and the adults just stare."
"Kids will be kids. As for the adults around here, they don't get too much to surprise them around here. But you might be more mature than all of them if you're used to that and can still be yourself. Oh, well. Are you here for the festival, then?" Winona asked, starting to walk towards the gym. She signaled for Tails to follow.
Tails nodded, following her. "Yup. I wanna take part in the race, too."
"Oh, yeah, you do have your own pokemon. How old are you again? Ten? Twelve?" Winona asked, slowing down a bit as she neared the gym.
"I'm eight years old," Tails said a bit hesitantly.
Winona stopped and turned around, looking down at Tails. "Wait, you're not even the required age to be registered as an official pokemon trainer?"
Tails ears twitched, a bit annoyed at himself for forgetting what Blizz told him about hiding his age. "No..."
Winona paused for a bit, thinking. "Well, you do handle pokemon well...and you did show that you're not a pushover, dealing with Julian...How about this?" she asked, "You hurry up and get some form of permission from your mom or dad and I can let you in."
Tails sighed when she mentioned something about parental permissions. "My mom and dad were killed a long time ago... back before I could even remember..." he said.
Winona put her hand to her mouth in surprise. "Oh, my... I'm sorry. If you don't mind my prying, how have you been getting by?"
"Don't worry...like I said, I don't really remember them. But my friend, Sonic pretty much raised me as his brother. He's been there for me for a long time." Tails said, smiling a bit now.
"Sonic? Is that his nickname?"
"Nope. That's his real name."
Winona looked rather confused, but continued questioning anyhow. "Do you think you could get permission from him then?"
Tails shook his head. "Well, he's still on the planet Mobius and I can't really get there whenever I want."
Winona stared at Tails, trying not to let any frustration show. Not at Tails, but at his situation. "So you're not even from this planet?" She asked. She walked over to the gym to write something down on the board and Tails followed.
"No... What are you doing, Winona?"
Winona finished writing and turned back to Tails. "Since you're from another planet and your appearance is proof enough of it, I'll just conclude that children from your planet mature quickly and I won't have to try to think of any other way to get permission for you," she said, smiling a bit. "Now, I've got a festival to host. I'll see you later."
She waved to Tails, then walked off.
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Julian is dead. That was something Julian himself had to convince himself of. This "Wild Blue Yonder" festival would be the perfect chance to exact some much sought after revenge. And if his luck was with him, he could take out that meddling fox boy, too. He thought the last time he'd see that mangy fox was when he was carted off to prison.
But no. That kid even crushed him again when he joined Turanade. Another opportunity out the window. This time, Julian decided to stay dead. He would assume a new identity. Even if it meant altering his appearance. Luckily for him, prison provided him with the perfect opportunity to lose weight, grow a beard and change his taste in clothing.
Now that he's finished his 'project', nothing could go wrong. To say the least, he felt like one of those people who like to eat little bunny rabbits and spit out lucky charms and even invent new ways of torturing old ladies while enjoying his meal. It was a good feeling, indeed. The time was ripe for revenge and even a profit. Whoever said 'You can't have your cake and eat it, too' obviously wasn't trying hard enough.
The new Julian, who called himself Vince, made sure his pokeballs were at the ready and engaged his flying machine, the project he had been working on just for today. He smiled, impressed with his work and climbed in. He confirmed the coordinates of Fortree and took off.
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The adults in Fortree were more accepting than Tails thought they would be. He thought he might be chased off for being mistaken for a wild pokemon and not getting the chance to eat. Instead, he was greeted with a pat on the head by some ladies and treated to some fresh cookies by the servers taking care of the food of the festival. Ransai was wrong. People are nice. At least those Tails met, anyway.
He was content on munching away at his horde of cookies and brownies as he walked around, waiting for the race to start. Now there were some pokemon battles starting in the sky, led by anxious trainers and the local territorial Pidgeotto in the area. At least it was something to watch. When Tails finished one of the brownies, he came across a gaming booth. A dunk tank. With a smart alec clown, no less.
"Hey, look at that reject pokemon!"
Tails' ears twitched from that comment and he turned to look at the clown.
"Yeah, that's right! I bet you couldn't even beat out a Magikarp!" the clown further jeered.
"Hey, what'd I do to you!" Tails finally answered.
A game server waved Tails over and smiled. "For a couple of pokedollars, you could get back at him," he said.
"A runt like that! Hah! I've roasted tougher Caterpies!" the clown mocked.
"I'm sure you have, Bobo." the server answered, sarcastically. "So, will you try and humiliate him, little, guy?"
Tails took three pokedollars out of his pack and handed them to the server, receiving three balls in return. "Yeah, he's real annoying," he said, walking up behind the line.
"Aww, look at that, the Vulpix wannabe is gonna try and get me wet! I'm so scared!" Bobo shouted sarcastically.
Tails' tails twitched. "I'm not a pokemon, anyhow!" he shouted at him, winding up for a pitch. He loosed the ball at the target-- And it bounced off the cage surrounding the clown.
"Yeah, sure, I bet you just lost against a Cyndaquil that only knew Smokescreen!" the clown contested, guffawing.
Tails wound up again and pitched the ball. This time, the ball hit the target and there was a gratifying splash when the clown got dunked along with a shouted word that's usually considered vulgar and generally not used in public.
"Agh! I can't believe the twerp got me!"
Tails grinned. "And I got one more left!" he shouted.
Bobo scowled, climbing his overweight bottom to his perch above the water. "I think you were aiming at me that time and missed!" he shouted back.
Tails wound up again. "Okay, I'll aim for the target this time!" he called out. He pitched the final ball at the target and it connected, plummeting the clown once more into the tank along with another cuss word being shouted.
"Agh, go back to your pokeball, you little twerp!" Bobo protested.
Tails shrugged with a smirk. "I've beat tougher Caterpie than you," he said.
"Two out of three ain't bad," the server told Tails.
"Yeah, I feel better now," Tails said, giggling a bit. He took out the cookies he was eating and resumed doing so as he walked off to see what else he can do before the race starts.
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"Hey, Winona."
Falkner dismounted Zephyr, his Pidgeot and returned it, ready for another race across the regions.
"There, you are, Falkner!" Winona greeted, walking over to the leader of the Violet City gym with a sheet. "It's Five thirty, so I was wondering what had you caught up," she said.
"Ah, a battle ran long. The challenger thought he would be clever and throw a few electric types into battle, but Gligar got the best of them. Other than that, he battled fairly well," Falkner reported. "But he still lost." he added with a chuckle.
"I see. Well, I'm glad you're here, either way," Winona told him. "Someone signed up today, and I'm a bit suspicious."
Falkner took the sheet to write his name down and notices one of the more recent names. "Who would call their kid Tails?" he asked, dumbfounded.
"It's not him," Winona said, "The only thing he's done wrong is beyond his control, but I think he can handle the race. But it's the Vince guy."
Falkner signed his name down, listening to her. "What about him?"
"I could have sworn he looked familiar...and definitely not someone I want in the race."
"But you're not sure, and want me to keep an eye on him?" Falkner asked, handing back the registration sheet.
Winona nodded. "Yes, and if my hunch is right, he could ruin the race. I just hope I'm not losing it from hosting the festival. Especially with Aeyn here this year."
"Nah, you're more than capable enough to lead this like you do every year, Winona," Falkner said, "And I'll make sure I keep an eye on Vince. You just do what you always do and don't let it worry you." Falkner assured.
Winona nodded. "Yeah...Just so much going on this year. Thank you, Falkner," she said. She glanced at her watch and cleared her throat. "Well, it's time for me to start everything up," she said. She tilted her head with a smile. "Are you going to come with me?"
"Of course. Don't I always?" Falkner asked, playing a cool smile.
Winona beamed, then walked away from the gym, followed by Falkner.